Tag: Impa Kasanganay

‘Dark horse seed’ Alex Polizzi ready to play spoiler vs. Impa Kasanganay at PFL 2

Alex Polizzi is drawing PFL’s most recent light heavyweight champion in his debut.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Alex Polizzi[/autotag] is drawing PFL’s most recent light heavyweight champion in his debut.

Polizzi (10-3) meets 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] (15-4) in the PFL 2 co-main event at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

Polizzi faces a stern test for his first regular season fight, but isn’t fazed.

“I told my manager right off the bat: We got the dark horse seed,” Polizzi told reporters during a media scrum at Xtreme Couture. “It’s a chance for me to go in, my debut in the PFL, to show them what ‘Easy Polizzi’ is all about. Whether we win, lose or draw, like I always say, it’s going to be a good time.”

Polizzi finds himself in unfamiliar territory having lost back to-back to Yoel Romero and Karl Moore. While the aim is to snap his two-fight losing skid, Polizzi also guarantees to entertain. Eight of his 10 professional wins have come by finish.

“I don’t want to make it seem like, ‘Oh, if you’ve seen one Alex fight, you’ve seen them all,'” Polizzi said. “The thing is, I’m always bringing a certain amount of organized chaos.

“So make sure you’re tuning in because I’m going to do some weird stuff. I’m going to have a lot of fun doing it, and like I say all the time, if you guys are having half as much fun watching me as I’m getting out of it, that’s worth the price of admission.”

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for February: Middleweight contenders net another bonus

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2024.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for February.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

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Nominees

Johnny Eblen def. Impa Kasanganay at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions: Best photos

Check out these photos from Johnny Eblen vs. Impa Kasanganay at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in Saudi Arabia.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag]’s split decision victory over Impa Kasanganay at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, which took place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions live and official results

Check out the full results of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions which takes place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions took place Saturday and MMA Junkie provided coverage of live and official results throughout the entire card.

The event featured PFL fighters vs. Bellator fighters at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Champions of both promotions clashed in the main and co-main bouts. The main event was a heavyweight bout between PFL’s [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] and Bellator’s [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag]. Middleweights battled in the co-feature as PFL’s [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] took on Bellator’s [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag].

The 11-fight event featured several notable names including [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag], [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag], and the pro debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson [autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag].

Check out the official results, details and highlight clips from each bout below.

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions results: Johnny Eblen rallies to win split over Impa Kasanganay

Johnny Eblen was rocked and hurt badly by Impa Kasanganay, but regained momentum to take a split decision at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

[autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] kept his undefeated record intact, but it didn’t come without a close call.

On the main card of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, Bellator champ Eblen (15-0) met PFL’s Impa Kasanganay in the co-feature middleweight bout. The fight was filled with back-and-forth action, but after 15 minutes, it was Eblen who got his hand raised over Kasanganay (15-4) with a split decision nod (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

After initial striking exchanges, Eblen went to his wrestling game in an attempt to bring the fight to the mat. Kasanganay kept things standing, however, and the round continued to unfold with calculated striking offerings from both fighters. As the round wore on, Kasanganay’s confidence grew and his striking attacks varied, including a flying knee at the bell.

Eblen came out firing in Round 2 and paid the cost. Kasanganay began to light up Eblen with hard punches, sending the Bellator champ to the canvas. The flurry was on for Kasanganay, but Eblen was able to grab a hold of a leg to slow the moment.

Kasanganay broke free for a moment to unload another combination, but Eblen got right back in on the hips. Refusing to give up on the takedown, Eblen got Kasanganay down, even taking the back momentarily. Eblen ended the round on top after landing some hard ground and pound.

With just five minutes to go, Eblen continued to build upon his late second-round surge. Forward pressure from Eblen led to winning exchanges on the feet and eventually taking Kasanganay’s back on the mat looking for a rear-naked choke. The finish wouldn’t come, however and the fight would go to the scorecards.

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After receiving the “Super Belt” from Mike Tyson, Eblen admitted during his post-fight interview that he had to dig deep to regain momentum in the fight.

As a result, Eblen remains undefeated in his professional career, while also adding another Bellator victory over PFL on the evening.

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Up-to-the-minute results of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

UFC veterans in MMA, karate and kickboxing action Feb. 22-25

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to Mexico for UFC Fight Night 237.

The event at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City features a flyweight clash between former champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag].

Many other combat sports events are taking place that feature several familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Feb. 22-25.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Special PFL vs. Bellator: Champions belt designs revealed

The winners of the PFL vs. Bellator champion vs. champion fights will walk home with an extra piece of hardware.

While the PFL and Bellator titles won’t be on the line Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the winner of each champion vs. champion matchup will go home with special hardware.

Monday, the promotion released a first look at the special PFL vs. Bellator: Champions title belts that the winners of the head-to-head champions fights will be awarded with.

Those eligible for this special title belt are the main event and co-main event competitors. The headlining bout features 2023 PFL heavyweight champion [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] (12-3) against Bellator heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (31-7). The co-feature is a fight between PFL light heavyweight champion [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] (15-3) and Bellator middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (14-0).

Check out the title belt revelation in the video below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3ioDO_vkRj/?img_index=1

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 12:30 p.m. ET)

  • Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey De Santis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondala Rao

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Johnny Eblen expects dominant win over Impa Kasanganay: ‘I’ve fought tougher opponents’

Johnny Eblen is confident he’ll dominate Impa Kasanganay at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

[autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] is confident he’ll get his hand raised against [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag], because he thinks capable of beating tougher competition

The Bellator middleweight champion is not trying to disrespect Kasanganay (15-3), who he fights at the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24, but he strongly thinks he’s faced higher level fighters in the past and has maintained his undefeated record.

“I think I’ve encountered everything that Impa is going to be able to throw at me,” Eblen told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s a durable guy who likes to box and move forward, and he’s an athlete, he’s well put together. That’s nothing that I haven’t run into before.

“I actually feel like I’ve fought tougher opponents, (and) that’s not to say that I’m looking down on him, or I think I’m just going to walk through this guy. He’s a tough fight and I treat every fight the same – like it’s the best guy I’ve ever fought. So when I go in there, I’m going to make him pay for signing the dotted line. I’m just a different animal.”

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Eblen (14-0) has yet to taste defeat in his professional MMA career, and has faced respectable names such as Gegard Mousasi, Fabian Edwards and Anatoly Tokov.

The American Top Team product not only sees himself defeating Kasanganay, but doing it in dominant fashion, too.

“I could foresee a (finish) or where it’s so one-sided, like it’s no question,” Eblen said. “That’s usually how my fights go. Even when the cards are kind of close, I always tend to out strike guys because of my wrestling, the way I mix things up, my footwork, and my distance. I don’t think it’s going to go to the judges, but if it does, it’s going to be one-sided.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Video: Which side has the edge in the upcoming PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates if PFL or Bellator has an advantage, and the potential for a complete sweep.

Next month, the best of the best in PFL and Bellator will travel across the globe for a unique event.

On Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event goes down, and it places champs from both promotions against one another. The top four fights on the card will be champion vs. champion bouts, all three rounds, with no title on the line.

This event will give us [autotag]Renan Ferreria[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag], [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag], [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and other PFL vs. Bellator matchups.

Should either promotion bring a broom for the clean sweep, or will both sides pick up victories?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” of Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed the matchups with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above, and check out this week’s episode below on YouTube or in podcast form.

Video: PFL vs. Bellator press conference faceoffs

Check out the faceoffs from the first press conference ahead of the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator event in South Florida.

The first PFL vs. Bellator press conference took place Wednesday, and afterward the fighters in attendance came face to face for the first time.

The first PFL vs. Bellator event since the acquisition takes place Feb. 24 at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a main card that streams on ESPN+ and DAZN pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+ and ESPNews. The entire card pits PFL fighters vs. Bellator fighters and is chalk full of current and former champions from each promotion.

In the main event, reigning PFL heavyweight champ [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] takes on Bellator heavyweight champ [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag]. The co-main event pits PFL light heavyweight champ [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] moving back down to middleweight to face Bellator 185-pound champ [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag]. A showdown between current featherweight champions, [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] from the PFL and [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] of Bellator, is also on tap.

In addition to the fights between current champions, a host of matchups between former champs and title challengers are also slated.

You can watch all of the faceoffs from the first PFL vs. Bellator press conference at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla., in the video above.

Below is the complete PFL vs. Bellator lineup:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
  • Jesus Pinedo vs. Patricio Freire
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, ESPNews, 12:30 p.m. ET)

  • Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Chris Morris
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey De Santis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondal Rao
  • Malik Basahel vs. Vinicius Pereira

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator.